"C" is for Cookies, Corn, Cowboys, and The Church!

Cocoa and Constellations on Columbus Day, Catastrophes, Canonizations, Costume Parties, Costume Contests, Corn Maze Confusion, Carving Celtic Crosses, Crowded Celebrations (with more Costumes), and the Cemetery...  It's been crazy around here Along the Alphabet Path but we finally completed the letter C!

..............

I wrote the above and started this post back in November... Months later, right when we were about to Continue it was time for a Conclave!  After that we just Didn't get much Done Along the Alphabet Path for the Duration of the school year.  We are hoping to continue this fall...
In the meantime here is what we Completed for Cc!

.: Letter Introduction & Formation :. 

"C" is the happy letter!  Start at the top and circle around, but don't close it up! This is the happy cookie because somebody took a big bite!  /c/, /c/, cookie. - Primary Arts of Language: Reading

Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Cat drinking Cream

 Snuggles colored this picture from My Book of Letters last school year...

I pulled out the rest of the activity pages for the letter C...

He sounded out the names of four pictures and figured out which three began with the sound "c."  He also made the letter C with Wikki Sticks and our Wooden Letter Pieces.

We also read Cowboy ABC and B is for Buckaroo: A Cowboy Alphabet
(while wearing Cute new "Cowboy Clothes of  Course!") 

.: A, B... Seas & Storybook Science :.

A, B... Seas Ocean Box :: C is for Clownfish
For the letter C Snuggles crafted a clownfish for his Ocean Box.
(The Ocean Box is one of the things we aren't planning on continuing for the rest of the Alphabet since we are adding in a complete Science Course for Chemistry and Biology this coming year.  We will continue the coloring book and Apples, Bubbles and Crystals Science)

C is for Clingfish

Sea Life Alphabet Coloring Book

C is for Crystals :: Crystal Creations

The suggested experiment in Apples, Bubbles and Crystals: Your Science ABCs was all about Crystals.

C is for Color

Color By Design Pattern Play Block Set 

What Color is Camouflage?  
and Why Do Leaves Change Color?

C is for Corn

Corn is Maize by Aliki
Corn by Gail Gibbons
The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePaola

We also went on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze...

... and Choose pumpkins to Carve

Crazy Cowboy!

.: Arts, Crafts & Additional Activities :. 

Create a Car 

For the letter "C" I pulled out this little lego set for Snuggles to Create a Car!

.: My Catholic Faith :.

C is for Church

It's A Joy to Go to Church Catholic Coloring Book

The Caterpillar that Came to Church

Manners in Gods House

C is for Church 

Christ's dwelling place here

I will visit Him, talk to Him 

feel Him draw near.

~ God's Alphabet

Play Church Windows

Show Compassion

Show Compassion is the theme for this week's Writing ABC's on Little Hearts by Pondered In My Heart. Snuggles colored the picture and added it to his book.

C is for Chalice

A is for Altar, B is for Bible and Chalice

C is for Christ Child

Continuing Snuggles' Bible Narrations and Picture Study for this year...    We read about the Christ Child from Classic Bible Stories: A Family Treasury.   After I read the story to Snuggles' he narrated it back to me and then illustrated a page in his book based on the picture provided.

C is for St. Christopher

I converted the image from Picture Book of Saints into a Pencil Sketch and added text:

St. Christopher Coloring Page

In addition to reading about St. Cecilia (An Alphabet of Catholic Saints), St. Christopher (An Alphabet of Saints), and St. Charles Borromeo & St. Catherine of Siena (S is for Saints)  we also read a few picture books about these saints:

Saint Colum and the Crane

Legend of Saint Christopher

Christopher: The Holy Giant 

St. Christopher

Peter Claver: Patron Saint of Slaves

Clare and Francis

Saint Clare of Assisi (Glory Stories)

.: A to Z Recipes :.

Cheesiest-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

We made Cheesiest-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
 from My A to Z Recipe Box: An Alphabet of Recipes for Kids.

... and also read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!

Cut out Cookies

Cloud, Car, Crown, Church, Cat, Cupcake, and Cross all Coincidentally begin Commence with C! 

Indian Corn Cookies

... to Celebrate St. Kateri's Canonization!  I posted the directions here. 

Well that is finally Done!   I do plan to simplify for the rest of the Alphabet, if I hope to complete the Alphabet Path before Snuggles graduates high school! ;) 

A Few Memories and a Childhood Treasure

“If you dear little girls would only learn what real beauty is, and not pinch and starve and bleach yourselves out so, you'd save an immense deal of time and money and pain. A happy soul in a healthy body makes the best sort of beauty for man or woman.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Eight Cousins

My absolute favorite thing to do as a child was read.  As the oldest of twelve children life was always busy, but I'd often sneak away and hide under my bed or in the closet with a flashlight and a book.  At one point I even remember intentionally trying to make my mom mad (soooo naughty of me!) so she would send me to my room just so I could spend more time reading.  This quickly ended one afternoon when I said something that resulted in a "Go to your room!" from my mom who then told my sister Jennifer to take over the dishes I was washing.  Jenny responded "That's not fair! She wants you to send her to her room so she can read!" From then on my "punishments" were changed to additional chores, usually mopping the wood floors...

Earlier today I took a break from chores and lesson planning and was looking through some of my old treasures - favorite books from my childhood - trying to choose a few to share with our oldest daughter this coming school year.   Now that she is turning 10 this week I thought she might enjoy one of my old favorites, Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott.  It had been tucked away in my closet for safe keeping and I was so excited when I opened it and recalled that it had been given to me, by my Grandmother, 25 years ago on my 10th birthday, and had originally been given to my Grandma Jo Ann by her Aunt Viv on Christmas in 1940! 

I think I have shared a little about my Grandma (my Dad's mom) in the past, but I can't seem to find the post... She passed away just two years later (in May of 1990, at the age of 61), within two months of being diagnosed with cancer (right after Easter that year), which was also right after being sentenced (on Good Friday by a "Catholic" judge) to three months in jail for sitting and praying the rosary in front of an abortion clinic with Operation Rescue.  God had other plans for her... I loved her so much!  How I miss her and wish she could meet her great-grandchildren. Last week, when I was watching the kids play Mass, I asked God to please let her have a little peek through the clouds - I could just picture her smiling! 

Anyways, my copy of Eight Cousins is starting to fall apart, but I did order a new copy to give to our oldest daughter on Friday.   I love that the Penguin Classics Paperback version shows Rose ice skating on the cover!  It will tie in nicely to the "Caroline" themed birthday we are planning.  :)

A Couple Home Videos...

... because they are just too cute not to share!

Bud playing Mass on August 25th at 20 months old

Seven Quick Takes From Our Trip Last Weekend

— 1 —

Last weekend we were blessed to be able to travel to meet our newest goddaughter and attend her baptism and the 10th Anniversary Mass and Renewal of Vows of her parents! This sweet little girl was born last month following a very complicated delivery.  Thanks be to God both baby and momma are doing well!  

— 2 —

I had hoped to get out of town early Friday morning, but it ended up being nearly 11am before we left. When I asked my husband to stop in town, before getting on the freeway, so I could pick up some Moscato and Peach Schnapps he said, "Well that is a perfect Facebook update for you... 'We are on our way to our new goddaughter's baptism... First stop: Liquor Store!'"  Ummm, yeah... When you put it that way...

— 3 —

After arriving in town, and dropping off our suitcases and sleeping bags at the home of some friends who graciously offered to host us, we headed to the golf course to meet David & Ursula and their family for a fundraiser/bbq.   My older girls were so excited to see one of their own best friends again and it was the perfect opportunity for me to hold the baby!

We also got to see a couple other priests we knew, as well as meet the Bishop and Father Vuky, who would be concelebrating the Baptism Mass. 

— 4 —

After dinner we headed to back to Ursula's new home (they moved this month and now live right next to the church!) to drink sangria and not worry about all decorations, food and desserts for the 200 guests! make a shopping list so I could go to Costco in the morning for food, drinks, and desserts for the reception, while Sean and the boys helped set up tables and chairs in the back yard.  The Peach Sangria was awesome!  Here is the recipe:

~ Peach Sangria ~

1 bottle Moscato

1/3 bottle Peach Schnapps

1 liter bottle 7up (or Sprite)

Sliced fresh peaches

Stir all ingredients (except 7up) together in the fridge and let the fruit sit to absorb all of the delicious flavors, then add sprite just before serving.  Yummm!

— 5 —

At that point it was getting really late and we headed back to the home where we would be staying.  Little did our hostess know when I gave her a Catholic Cuisine apron, and a couple other goodies as a thank you gift for her and her husband's hospitality, that she would be wearing that apron all weekend long! ;)  

Alecia was amazing!  She stayed up late making some pasta salads to help with the party the next day, went shopping with me to Costco and Winco for the food for the party, made Chicken Salad Sandwiches to take as well, and also fed my own family amazing meals all weekend long! 

I originally met Alecia when I was fourteen.  She was my camp counselor (when she was about the age I am now!) at an MI camp.  The following year I spent the night at her home for the first time on my way to World Youth Day in 1993!  The rest of the group I was staying with was staying at a local gym, but I was weak from recovering from the flu and she took me home so I could sleep in a bed.  I also became good friends with a couple of her boys during those summer camps when we were teenagers, and one of her boys headed to Christendom the year after I attended.  So many great friends are made though Catholic Summer Camps!  

Alecia has always been so thoughtful and caring.  It was such a blessing to be able to take our children to meet her and they loved her just as much as I do!  In fact, one of the first things that Snuggles said when we arrived home was "I want to go back to that house where we slept!" 

— 6 —

I already posted a few pictures of the baptism, which was so very beautiful.  You can find them here.

Here is one more picture of my beautiful friend and new goddaughter!

— 7 —

Sunday morning we headed into town to attend a a Solemn Pontifical Mass (1970 Missal) which was part of the William Byrd Festival and featured Byrd's Mass for Three Voices.  

The Celebrant was the Most Reverend Basil Meeking, D.D., who is the Bishop Emeritus of Christchurch, New Zealand.  

Following Mass our children erupted with cheers when my phone announced "Calculating Route to the Lego Store..."  Even though it wasn't the way I had planned to surprise them with this first visit ever to a lego store, it was still quite the surprise!   

One of the employees let them all build a minifigure to take home, in exchange for sorting some legos, and I let the boys fill a little container from the pick-a-brick section.  Of course the older boys were the most excited to see the new Tower of Orthanc in person. 

After that we met up with David and Ursula at Red Robin before heading home... The waitress was wonderful and not at all overwhelmed by our "4 adults and 13 children!"

Originally I had hoped to head from the Baptism straight to Idaho so that our older boys could attend a summer camp at one of Sean's brother's parishes this week, but it was just too much to try and plan.  Honestly it has taken me nearly all of this week to just recover from the weekend trip!   Our summer has flown by and I still have so much I need to finish before our new school year begins on September 3rd...  I better get back to my planning!  I hope you all have a great weekend!

For additional Quick Takes visit Conversion Diary.